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﻿Title: A Succinct View of the Importance and Practicability of Forming a Ship Canal across the Isthmus of Panama
Author: Hill, H. R.
Language: English
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A
SUCCINCT VIEW
OF THE
IMPORTANCE AND PRACTICABILITY
OF FORMING
A SHIP CANAL
ACROSS THE
ISTHMUS OF PANAMA.
By H. R. HILL.
_LONDON:_
WM. H. ALLEN, & CO.,
7, LEADENHALL-STREET.
1845.
W. LEWIS AND SON, PRINTERS, 21, FINCH-LANE, LONDON.
ADVERTISEMENT.
The following observations were thrown together as the result of
communications with several gentlemen locally acquainted with the
Isthmus of Panama, and who expressed to the writer their astonishment,
that amidst the numerous undertakings, of more or less utility, which
science has realised in our time, one so important to the whole
commercial world, so easy of accomplishment, and so certain to be
productive of ample remuneration to the undertakers, as a Ship Canal
through that Isthmus, had not been taken up. The idle objection, that
if practicable it would not have been left unattempted for the last
three hundred years, they considered, would have no weight in an age
in which we have seen accomplished works that in our fathers' time,
nay, even within our own memory, it would have been considered madness
to propose,--witness steam-navigation and railways. It is not twenty
years since Dr. Lardner, the author of a popular work on the
steam-engine, then supposed to be a most competent authority,
declared in his lectures that the application of steam-navigation to
the voyage across the Atlantic was a mere chimera. So it has been with
railways. Would not any man who fifty, or even twenty years ago, had
predicted that the journey from London to Exeter would be accomplished
_in five hours_, have been deemed a fit tenant for Bedlam? To contend
that because a great undertaking has remained unattempted for a long
series of years, _therefore_ it is impracticable, is to put a stop to
all improvement. At the suggestion of the friends before referred to,
the writer is induced to print the following pages, with the hope of
drawing to the subject of which they treat the attention of the
mercantile and shipping interests. If they awaken an interest in the
subject in those quarters, they will not be thrown away, and he is
fully convinced that the more the subject is examined the stronger
will be the conviction of the practicability of the undertaking.
_23, Throgmorton Street_,
_February, 1845_.
A SUCCINCT VIEW, &c.
From the first discovery of the American continent down to the present
time, a shorter passage from the North Atlantic to the Pacific ocean
than the tedious and dangerous voyage round Cape Horn has been a
desideratum in navigation. During the dominion of old Spain in the New
World the colonial policy and principles of that jealous nation, to
which Central America belonged, opposed insurmountable obstacles to
any proposal for effecting this great object; but the emancipation of
the Spanish Colonies, and the erection of independent States in their
stead, has broken down the barrier which Spanish jealousy had erected.
The rulers of these states are not devoid of discernment to perceive
that the exclusion of European Nations from the shores of the Pacific
would be productive of immense injury to themselves, and that by
making their own territory the high-road to the countries which are
becoming important marts for the commerce of Europe, they are bringing
wealth to their own doors, and increasing their own political
importance.
In this, as in most other cases, individual and general benefit go
hand in hand; for it cannot be doubted that were such a communication
between the two Oceans made through Central America, it would prove of
incalculable utility to all nations engaged in maritime commerce,--and
sooner or later it will unquestionably be opened. This would be the
shortest route from Europe, North America, and the western coast of
Africa to every part of the western coast of the New World, to
Australia, New Zealand, the numerous islands of the Pacific and the
eastern coast of Asia,[1] as will be seen by a glance at the outline
map of the world on Mercator's projection annexed to this pamphlet.
The advantage of a Canal of sufficient size to allow large vessels to
proceed through the Isthmus is therefore obvious.
But by whom is this work to be undertaken? the question is certainly
not a British one alone, although the British Trade would derive
immense benefit from its solution: it is a question in which the whole
commercial world is more or less interested.
There must be either a combination of governments formed to defray so
much each of the expense, or the work must be accomplished by a Joint
Stock Company of individuals, who will indemnify themselves for their
outlay by levying tolls upon those who avail themselves of the
communication. As to such a combination of governments, the difficulty
of procuring a sufficient grant of public money opposes a great
obstacle to the realization of any such project.
To private enterprize chiefly then it must be committed; yet it may
reasonably be expected that such countenance and support as the
governments of the principal maritime powers can give, will be readily
yielded to any association that will undertake the work.
There are several considerations which point out the present as the
most auspicious moment for attaining the object in view. The profound
peace with which Europe and the whole civilized world is now blessed,
the abundance of capital in the money market, the present low rate of
interest, and the difficulty of finding investments, are all favorable
to the raising of the necessary funds; the immense strides which
science has made in overcoming natural difficulties, once deemed
insuperable, add to the means of accomplishment, while the growing
importance of British Colonies in and about New Zealand, the
inevitable impulse that recent events must give to the China trade,[2]
and the efforts of all maritime nations to make establishments in the
Polynesian Islands will render the Canal a certain source of profit
and honor to those who will aid in its formation.
Several parts of the Isthmus of America have been proposed for the
communication between the two seas, such as the Province of Nicaragua,
the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, &c.; but invincible obstacles occur in all
those localities, while on the contrary the Isthmus of Panama is
beyond doubt the most favorable point, according to the opinion of all
the scientific and practical men who have visited that part of the new
world.[3] We shall proceed, therefore, to describe that Isthmus as
far as is necessary for the present purpose.
The Isthmus of Panama[4] may be considered as extending from the
Meridian of 77° to that of 81° W. of Greenwich. Its breadth at the
narrowest point, opposite to the city of Panama, is about thirty
miles. The general feature of the Isthmus on the map is that of an
arc, or bow, the chord of which lies nearly east and west. It now
forms a province of the republic of New Granada.
It may appear strange, yet it is now well known to be the fact, that
although the small width of the Isthmus was ascertained soon after the
discovery of America, its natural features remained entirely unknown
for three hundred years. Robertson, in his History of America, states
that the Isthmus is traversed in all its length by a range of high
mountains, and it was reserved for our scientific countryman, Lloyd,
who surveyed the Isthmus in 1828 and 1829, by direction of Bolivar,
then president of the Republic of Colombia, to dispel the illusion.
From his observations, confirmed by more recent travellers, it is now
ascertained that the chain of the Andes terminates near Porto Bello to
the east of the Bay of Limon, otherwise called Navy Bay, and that the
Isthmus is, in this part, throughout its whole width, a flat country.
It was also long supposed that there was an enormous difference
between the rise and fall of the tide in the Pacific and Atlantic
Oceans on either side of the Isthmus, and that the opening of a
communication between the two seas would be productive of danger to a
large portion of the American continent. It is now, however,
ascertained that the difference of altitude is very trifling, not more
than thirteen feet at high water.[5] The prevalence of these errors
may have tended, in combination with Spanish jealousy, unhealthiness
of climate on the Atlantic side, the denseness of the forests, and the
unsettled state of the Government for some years after the Spanish
yoke was shaken off, to prevent the undertaking now proposed from
being seriously considered.
Panama is the principal city on the Isthmus. Its site has been once
changed. When the Spaniards first visited the Isthmus in 1512, the
spot on which the old city was afterwards built, was already occupied
by an Indian population, attracted by the abundance of fish on the
coast, and who are said to have named it "Panama" from this
circumstance, the word signifying much fish. They, however, were
speedily dispossessed; and even so early as 1521, the title and
privileges of a city were conferred on the Spanish town by the
emperor, Charles the Fifth. In the year 1670, it was sacked and
reduced to ashes by the buccaneer, Morgan, and was subsequently built
where it now stands.
The position of the present town of Panama is in latitude 8° 57' N.;
longitude 79° 30' W. of Greenwich, on a tongue of land, shaped nearly
like a spear head, extending a considerable distance out to sea, and
gradually swelling towards the middle. Its harbour is protected by a
number of islands, a short distance from the main land, some of which
are of considerable size, and highly cultivated.
There is good anchorage at each of these islands, and supplies of
ordinary kinds, including excellent water, which may be obtained from
several of them.[6]
The city of Panama was, in the 17th century, a place of great
importance, but has gradually sunk into comparative insignificance.
The policy of the present Government of New Granada is to restore this
city to its pristine importance, and for this reason, one terminus of
the intended Ship Canal should be at, or as near as conveniently may
be to, this position.
The natural obstacles to be overcome in forming a Canal between
Panama, and the _nearest point_ of the opposite coast, which is the
Gulph of San Blas (likewise called the Bay of Mandingo), render it
expedient to select a position west of that line, and the happy
coincidence of two navigable rivers, traversing the low lands to the
west of Porto Bello, the one falling into the Atlantic, and the other
into the Pacific Ocean, which may either form part of the navigation,
or be used to feed the Canal, renders that part of the Isthmus the
most eligible for this purpose. The rivers alluded to, are the
Chagres and the Rio Grande.
The town of Chagres, at the mouth of the river of the same name, is
about thirty-two miles west of Porto Bello (Puerto Velo); it is
situated on the north bank of the river, which falls into the
Caribbean Sea. The harbour formed by the mouth of the river having
been greatly neglected, has been much choked up; but it would be
unnecessary to incur the expense of improving it, for Navy Bay, called
also the Bay of Limon, lying immediately to the eastward of Chagres,
is a large and spacious harbour, being three miles wide at the mouth,
and having sufficient draught of water for the largest ships in the
British Navy. The river Chagres approaches within three miles of the
head of this Bay; the ground between is a dead level,[7] and all
writers agree that, the difficulties of the harbour being surmounted,
there is abundance of water in the Chagres. It is, therefore, proposed
either to cut a Canal from Navy Bay to the Chagres, and then to ascend
that river as far as its junction with the river Trinidad, and after
traversing a part of the latter, to construct a canal which shall
connect the Trinidad with the River Farfan, a branch of the Rio
Grande, and to proceed by that river to Panama; or should the Bay of
Chorrera, which is laid down in the plan, be deemed a preferable
harbour, to branch off to that bay; or to make the Canal across the
whole width of the isthmus, from the Bay of Limon to that of Panama,
using the rivers Trinidad, Farfan, and Bernardino, and other streams
which cross the line, for the supply of the Canal.
The plan annexed to this pamphlet will exhibit the two lines, and the
reader will perceive that a small Lake, called the Lake of Vino Tinto,
may, if the first proposal is adopted, be made available, and so
lessen the extent of the Canal. If the Rivers are used as a part of
the Navigation, the distance between that point of the River Trinidad
at which the Canal would commence, as shewn in the plan, and the point
where the Farfan ceases to be navigable, is only 25 miles, and there
is no high land intervening, the chain of the Andes terminating
several miles to the eastward of the valley of the Chagres, as before
mentioned. If the other plan be adopted, the length of the Canal will
be 58 miles.
Although at first sight it may appear to be a work of supererogation,
to carry the Canal over that part of the Isthmus which is traversed by
navigable rivers, it is by many engineers considered preferable in
forming a Canal, to use the rivers in its vicinity only for the
purpose of supplying the Canal with water, and not as a continuation
of the inland navigation, on account of the variation in the depth of
rivers from floods, or other accidents. Which of these two courses
would be most expedient in the present instance, may be safely left to
the determination of the engineer selected to carry out the
undertaking;--it is sufficient to know that _either is practicable_,
and that the expense of cutting the Canal the whole width of the
isthmus would meet with a corresponding return to the undertakers.
The principal difficulty anticipated in the execution of the work,
arises from the unhealthiness of the climate on the Atlantic side of
the isthmus--a difficulty to which the writer is by no means
insensible. It has, however, been exaggerated, and by proper
arrangements may be surmounted. The causes of this unhealthiness are
chiefly the swampy state of the ground on the Atlantic side of the
Isthmus (which the Canal itself, acting as a drain upon the
surrounding country, will greatly tend to remove), and the malaria
engendered by the closeness of the woods, and by the accumulation of
decayed vegetable substances, which the opening of the country,
incidental to the formation of the Canal now proposed, and the road
afterwards adverted to, will tend to alleviate; and after all, those
who have visited this part of the Isthmus, concur in stating that the
mortality in the low lands about Chagres is principally owing to the
imprudence of the Europeans visiting the country, in exposing
themselves to the night dews by sleeping in the open air, and
indulging in habits of intemperance.[8] If an association were formed
for carrying out the work now projected, one of the first cares of the
managers should be to erect huts or barracks for the protection of the
workmen against exposure to the weather, and the appointment of a
medical officer, who should be entrusted with sufficient powers to
ensure obedience to his regulations.
If the industry of the native population could be depended upon, there
would be no want of labourers inured to the climate, but the inertness
of the natives renders it inexpedient to rely upon them alone;
although, working in conjunction with Europeans, and stimulated by
their example, and by the love of gain, their services may, no doubt,
be made available. There is, however, no difficulty in collecting from
the Southern States of North America a sufficient number of Irish
labourers inured to a tropical climate, as was lately clearly shewn by
the formation of a railway at the Havanna, which was almost entirely
constructed by this class of men.
Any deficiency of labourers, it is considered, could easily be drawn
from the mining districts of Cornwall, from Ireland itself, or from
Scotland, or the North of England.
The next consideration is the expense of constructing a Ship Canal
across the Isthmus, and the probable returns. The estimates which have
been made, and of which the result is given below, suppose the Canal
to be cut through the whole width of the Isthmus, from the Bay of
Limon to that of Chorrera, and they include a large outlay for
improving the harbours formed by the two bays.
The first item that would occur in an undertaking of the same nature
_in this country_, would be the purchase of the land. Here a great
advantage presents itself in the present enterprise; for the
Government of New Granada, fully appreciating the permanent
advantages to be derived to the state from the execution of a work,
which it is unequal to accomplish by its own resources, has repeatedly
offered to grant the land required, for 60, 70, or 80 years, according
to the magnitude of the works, free of rent, or burdens of any kind,
and to admit the importation, free of duty, of all materials and
provisions necessary for the undertaking.
EXPENSES.
The expenses of cutting the Canal,
and of the direction and management of
a Company constituted for that purpose,
up to the period of the opening of the
Canal have been estimated at[9] £1,713,177
But if it be deemed expedient to raise
two millions, in order to provide for any
unforseen casualties, the difference will
be 286,823
----------
Total outlay £2,000,000
RETURNS.
From information derived from official sources in England, France, and
the United States of America, it is estimated that the tonnage of
vessels belonging to those countries and to Holland, trading in
countries to which the Canal through the Isthmus will be the shortest
voyage, amount to 799,427 tons per annum; and there can be no doubt
that the opening of the Canal would create a great extension of trade
to the South Seas, as well as induce the owners of many of the vessels
now using the navigation by the Cape of Good Hope to prefer the
shorter voyage through the Isthmus; and when we add to this
consideration, the fact that the above calculations do not include the
vessels belonging to Spain, Sardinia, the Hanse Towns, and other
nations of minor importance as maritime powers, but possessing in the
aggregate a trade not altogether inconsiderable, nor the traffic that
may be expected to flow to the Pacific from the West Indies, the
British Colonies in North America, and the countries on the north east
coast of South America, the tonnage of vessels that will be attracted
to the Canal may be fairly estimated at 800,000 tons.
A tonnage duty of $2 per ton, on
800,000 tons will produce $1,600,000,
equal, at 4s. 2d., to £333,333
Allowing a deduction for the annual
expenses of a sum much larger than will
probably be required, say 40,000
--------
There will remain a Balance of annual
profit of £293,333
This in turn will give upwards of 14-1/2 per cent. profit on the above
outlay of £2,000,000.
The Isthmus has recently been surveyed by M. Garella, an eminent
French Engineer, whose opinions will be found in the extract from the
_Moniteur_, contained in the Appendix. He was employed to make the
survey by the French Government, and his official Report has not yet
been made public. He differs in several material points from M. Morel,
another French gentleman, who is stated to have lately surveyed the
Isthmus;[10] but if the formation of a canal should be undertaken by
an English company, the parties engaged in the enterprize would
doubtless be guided by the English engineer whom they would employ, in
the selection of the most eligible line, while the labours of his
predecessors would greatly aid him in his survey.
As subservient to the grand project of a Ship Canal, an improved road
across the Isthmus has been projected. The abundance of hard wood to
be found on the spot, would furnish a cheap material for converting it
into a tram-road. The expense has been estimated by French engineers
at £40,000 sterling, and the returns, even according to the present
transit of goods and passengers across the Isthmus by the miserable
road now existing from Cruces to Panama, would, at a very moderate
toll, be enormous on that outlay.
APPENDIX.
The following Extracts from Authors who have treated of the Isthmus of
Panama will tend to illustrate the subject of the foregoing pages.
_Dampier, (1681)._
"Panama enjoys a good air, lying open to the sea-wind. There are no
woods nor marshes near Panama, but a brave dry champaign land, not
subject to fogs nor mists."
_Humboldt, (1803)._
"It appears that we find a prolongation of the Andes towards the South
Sea, between Cruces and Panama. However, Lionel Wafer assures us that
the hills which form the central chain, are separated from one another
by valleys, which allow free course for passage of the rivers; if this
last assertion be founded, we might believe in the possibility of a
canal from Cruces to Panama, of which the navigation would only be
interrupted by a very few locks."
_The Edinburgh Review, for Jan. 1809, Art. II. page 282._
"In enumerating, however, the advantages of a commercial nature which
would assuredly spring from the emancipation of South America, we have
not yet noticed the greatest, perhaps, of all,--the mightiest event
probably in favor of the peaceful intercourse of nations which the
physical circumstances of the globe present to the enterprise of
man,--we mean the formation of a navigable passage across the Isthmus
of Panama, the junction of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is
remarkable that this magnificent undertaking, pregnant with
consequences so important to mankind, and about which so little is
known in this country, is so far from being a romantic or chimerical
project, that, it is not only practicable but easy. The River Chagres,
which falls into the Atlantic at the town of the same name, about 18
leagues to the westward of Porto Bello is navigable as far as Cruces,
within five leagues of Panama; but though the formation of a Canal
from this place to Panama, facilitated by the valleys through which
the present road passes, appears to present no very formidable
obstacles, there is still a better expedient. At the distance of about
five leagues from the mouth of the Chagres it receives the river
Trinidad, which is navigable to Embarcadero; and from that place to
Panama is a distance of about 30 miles, through a level country, with
a fine river,[11] to supply water for the Canal, and no difficulty
whatever to counteract the noble undertaking. The ground has been
surveyed, and not the practicability only, but the facility of the
work completely ascertained. In the next place, the important
requisite of safe harbours, at the two extremities of a Canal, is here
supplied to the extent of our utmost wishes. At the mouth of the
Chagres is a fine Bay, which received the British 74 gun-ships in
1740, and at the other extremity is the famous harbour of Panama."
_J. A. Lloyd, F. R. S._
"It is generally supposed in Europe that the great chain of mountains,
which in South America forms the Andes, and in North America the
Mexican and Rocky Mountains, continues nearly unbroken through the
Isthmus. This, however, is not the case: the Northern Cordillera
breaks into detached mountains on the eastern side of the province of
Veragua. These are of considerable height, extremely abrupt and
rugged, and frequently exhibit an almost perpendicular face of bare
rock. To these succeed numerous conical mountains rising out of
Savannahs and plains, and seldom exceeding from 300 to 500 feet in
height. Finally between Chagres on the Atlantic side, and Chorrera on
the Pacific side, the conical mountains are not so numerous, having
plains of great extent interspersed, with occasional insulated ranges
of hills of inconsiderable height and extent. From this description it
will be seen that the spot where the continent of America is reduced
to nearly its narrowest limits, is also distinguished by a break for a
few miles of the Great chain of Mountains, which otherwise extends,
with but few exceptions, to its extreme northern and southern limits.
_This combination of circumstances points out the peculiar fitness of
the Isthmus of Panama for the establishment of a communication
across._"
_Philosophical Transactions, 1830, Part I., p. 65._
"Should a time arrive when a project of a water communication across
the Isthmus may be entertained, the river Trinidad will probably
appear the most favourable route. The river is for some distance both
broad and deep. Its banks are also well suited for wharfs."
_Philosophical Transactions, ibid, p. 66._
"The river, its channel, and the banks, which, in the dry season,
embarrass its navigation, are laid down in the manuscript plan with
great care and minuteness. It is subject to one great inconvenience,
that vessels drawing more than 12 feet water, cannot enter the river,
even in perfectly calm weather, on account of a stratum of slaty
limestone, which runs at a depth at high water of fifteen feet, from a
point on the main land to some rocks in the middle of the entrance of
the harbour, and which are just even with the water's edge; which,
together with the lee current that sets on the southern shore,
particularly in the rainy season, renders the entrance extremely
difficult and dangerous....
"The value of the Chagres, considered as the port of entrance for
all communications, whether by the river Chagres, Trinidad, or
by railroads across the plains, is greatly limited from the
above mentioned cause. It would prove in all cases a serious
disqualification, _were it not one which admits of a simple and
effectual remedy, arising from the proximity of the Bay of Limon_,
otherwise called Navy Bay, with which the river might easily be
connected. The coves of this bay afford excellent and secure anchorage
in its present state, and the whole harbour is capable of being
rendered, by obvious and not very expensive means, one of the most
commodious and safe harbours in the world.
* * * * *
"By the good offices of H. M. Consul in Panama,[12] and the kindness
of the Commander of H. M. Ship Victor, I obtained the use of that ship
and her boats in making the accompanying plan of this bay.... The
soundings were taken by myself, with the assistance of the master. It
will be seen from this plan, that the distance from one of the best
coves (in respect to anchorage), across the separating country from
the Chagres, and in the most convenient track, is something less than
three miles to a point in the river about three miles from its mouth.
I have traversed the intervening land which is particularly level, and
in all respects suitable for a canal, which, being required for so
short a distance, might well be of sufficient depth to admit vessels
of any reasonable draft of water, and would obviate the inconvenience
of the shallow water at the entrance of the Chagres."
_Ibid, p. 68._
_Extract from the Moniteur Parisien of Monday, October 14, 1844._
"Some of the public papers in announcing the return of M. Garella to
Paris, have asserted that the surveys made by that Engineer on the
Isthmus of Panama have led him to conclude that the formation of a
canal in that Country which should unite the two oceans is impossible.
This assertion is completely erroneous. The Report that this Engineer
intends to lay before the Ministers is not yet completed; but the
principal results of his voyage are already known, and which far from
having established the impossibility of the execution of the projected
work, prove on the contrary that the soil of this portion of the
Isthmus is not such as to threaten any serious obstruction to the
performance of a work of the kind.
"The line which has been explored by M. Garella, seems to be about 76
kilometres (46-1/2 miles) in length. Its point of termination upon the
side of the Atlantic is in the Bay of Limon (Puerto de Naos) situated
a little east of the mouth of the Rio Chagres, and already indicated
five years ago by Mr. Lloyd, where there is a depth of water of 10
metres (35 ft. 5 in.), and where it will be easy to form an excellent
port at a small expense. By this means may be avoided the village of
Chagres, situated at the month of the river of that name, but of
which the real unhealthiness has been so much exaggerated, as to
create an unfounded alarm among too many travellers. On the Pacific
Ocean the Canal should terminate at a little bay named Ensenada de
Voca de Monte, situated between Panama and the mouth of the Caimito,
where there is four metres (13 ft. 1 in.) depth of water at low tide,
which, with 3 metres 20 centimetres (10-1/2 ft.), which represent the
difference at high tide, gives a sufficient depth of water for the
largest merchant ships.
"The rigidly exact levellings which have been taken by M. Garella,
establish that the mean level of the Pacific Ocean is two metres 80
centimetres (9 ft. 2 in.) higher than that of the Atlantic, and that
the minimum point of the chain to overcome, which will be the most
elevated point of the line of the work, is 120 metres (131 yards[13])
above the height of the sea at Panama. The surveys which have been
made, prove at the same time that the height may be reduced to 90
metres (90 yards and a half) by a trench from four to five kilometres
(between two and three miles) in length, which, although considerable,
has nothing discouraging, considering the powers which science puts at
the disposal of the engineer. This height will render it necessary to
form 30 locks at each of the declivities.
"M. Garella is convinced, as much by his own observations, as by the
information that he has been able to obtain upon the spot, that all
that has been said of the unhealthiness of the Isthmus has been
exaggerated. Panama is, of all the towns upon the coast of America
which are situated between the Tropics, the most healthy, and perhaps
the only town where the yellow fever has never appeared. The interior
of the Isthmus, through which water courses find a rapid passage, is
equally healthy, and is inhabited by a robust and hospitable
population, which, although thinly spread over a large tract of
country, as in almost all the countries of Central and South America,
together with that of the neighbouring countries, may amply supply the
labourers necessary for the work, in case of its execution. Chagres is
the only point where the climate has any degree of unhealthiness,
owing to pure local circumstances; but this point will be avoided by
the line contemplated by M. Garella. Then in the unhealthiness of the
climate there is nothing to be dreaded for such artizans as masons and
carpenters, whom it would be necessary to send out from Europe.
"On the other hand the soil is of wonderful fertility. The cattle, far
from being scarce in that part are, on the contrary, abundant,
especially in the Canton of Chiriqui, on the Pacific Ocean, a little
to the west of Panama. There will, therefore, be easily found within
the country the means of provisioning a large number of workmen.
"The exact estimate of the expense attending the formation of a Canal
at Panama cannot be known until the report of M. Garella shall be
completed. But the foregoing explanations are of sufficient weight, as
a decided result of his surveys, to enable us to see that, against the
undeniable utility of a Canal that should be of sufficient dimensions
to allow the passage of the largest merchants' ships, we can hardly
place in the balance the consideration of any expenses whatsoever, nor
question the long series and increasing importance of the advantages
which must arise from it."
* * * * *
By way of summary: the opinion of this engineer on the possibility of
the formation of the Canal in question, is contained in the following
lines of a letter addressed by him to the Governor of Panama, dated
the 7th July, 1844, and a few days before his departure from that
country, translated from the "_Cartilla Popular_," a public paper
published at Panama, and written in Spanish.
* * * * *
"I am nevertheless partly able to satisfy your just and natural
impatience, in announcing to you that a Canal across the Isthmus
between the river Chagres, and a point of the coast of the Pacific
Ocean, in the environs of Panama, is a work of very possible
execution, and even easier than that of many Canals which have been
formed in Europe."
_M. Morel._
The author has been furnished with the following summary of the
opinions of M. Morel, who has been a resident for some years at
Panama. M. Morel is stated to have surveyed the whole line of country
destined to be appropriated to a road, as well as the ground through
which a Canal might be opened, and as the result of his surveys and
observations, he is reported to state--
1. That the width of the Isthmus of Panama, in _a direct line_, does
not exceed 33 miles.
2. That the chain of mountains which incloses the country terminates
precisely between Chagres and Panama, and forms a valley, which is
crossed in all directions by numerous streams.
3. That besides those streams, four rivers of more importance, the
Chagres and Trinidad, which flow into the Atlantic, and the Farfan and
Rio Grande, which discharge themselves into the Pacific, in the
immediate vicinity of Panama, can be made available.
4. That the soundings of the River Chagres show its depth to be from
16-1/2 to 22 feet, to its junction with the river Trinidad, the tide
being felt for four miles up the last named river. The breadth of the
Chagres is 220 feet from its mouth to the Trinidad.
5. That it becomes only necessary to unite these rivers by a Canal,
the length of which would not exceed 25 miles, and which would be
abundantly supplied by the numerous streams already mentioned.
6. That the land through which this Canal is to pass, is almost on a
level with the sea, the highest point being 36 feet, thus presenting
none of those serious difficulties which generally attend a work of
this description.[14]
7. That the country abounds with the necessary materials for building,
such as free-stone, clay, lime, and wood.
8. That there can exist no fear of a scarcity of labourers and
workmen, from the number who have already been enrolled by the
government of New Granada, which amounts to 4000 and upwards.
9. That the objection which has often been started against the
possibility of forming a water communication across the Isthmus of
Panama, founded on the difference supposed to exist between the levels
of the two seas, is totally at variance with the natural state of
things, the tides rising to different heights at Chagres and at
Panama, thus placing the Pacific sometimes above, and sometimes below
the Atlantic.
Lastly, M. Morel remarks, that Baron de Humboldt, the celebrated
Geographer, M. Arago, the eminent Astronomer, F.R.S., and Commander
Garnier, of the French Brig of War, "Le Laurier," have proved that if
there be any inequality of height, the average difference of level
cannot exceed one metre (about one yard English).
POSTSCRIPT.
Since the foregoing pamphlet was in print, an Article has appeared in
the Morning Chronicle of the 16th May, 1845, in which it is alleged,
upon the authority of an Article in the _Journal des Debats_, that M.
Garella has given in his Report to the French Government, and that he
reports in favour of the practicability of the scheme, but that he
found the lowest elevation between the two oceans to amount to, from
120 to 160 metres, and that this being, as he says, too great an
elevation for a Ship Canal, he proposes an enormous Tunnel capable of
allowing Frigates to pass through--that he thinks from examination of
the soil, that a Tunnel of 100 feet in height above the surface of the
Canal will be practicable, and might be made with a reasonable outlay
of money; and that the length of the Tunnel would be 5,350 metres, and
the expense of it about 44 millions of francs (£1,760,000).
It is impossible to read this statement without feeling a strong
suspicion that, for some object which does not appear, it is the wish
of the French Government, or those who have put the statement forth,
to deter others from embarking in the formation of a Canal across the
Isthmus of Panama; for the recommendation of a Tunnel of 5,350 metres
(about three miles) in length, and 100 feet in height, is not only
preposterous in itself, as applied to a Ship Canal, but is wholly at
variance with M. Garella's own letter to the Governor of Panama (ante
p. 26), and with the statement of his opinions in the Article in the
_Moniteur Parisien_ (ante p. 23), which Article is believed to have
been written by himself. It is true that M. Garella, being a Mining
Engineer (_Ingénieur des Mines_) may have a partiality for
subterraneous works; and this refection provokes the observation, that
it is singular that the French Government should have selected, for
this very important survey, an Engineer of Mines (however eminent in
his department), rather than one experienced in the formation of
Canals, when it had so many of the latter at command.
It is difficult to conceive that the writer of the letter to the
Governor of Panama, and of the Article in the _Moniteur Parisien_ can
be sincere in recommending a Tunnel; and the conclusion is
irresistible, that if the Article in the _Debats_ has any foundation
in the forthcoming Report, it is a stroke of policy on the part of the
French Government, to discourage an undertaking which its own subjects
have not sufficient enterprize to accomplish, and which it would
object to see executed by other nations.
In the present state of the question, it may not be immaterial to
remark, that on a comparison lately made by an English Engineer of Mr.
Lloyd's levels, with the survey alleged to have been made by M. Morel
(the accuracy of which is necessarily impugned by M. Garella, if he
asserts that an elevation of 120 metres must be overcome), it appears
that the levels ascribed to M. Morel, very nearly agree with those of
Mr. Lloyd, and are substantially corroborated by his survey.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] The reader will remember that to discover a more direct passage to
India than the voyage round Africa, which the Portuguese were then
exploring, was the object of Columbus' voyage which led to the
discovery of America, and the present proposal is to realize the
project of that great navigator. The name of "Indies" was given to his
discoveries, under a belief that he had actually reached India, a name
still preserved in our "West Indies."--_Robertson's America_, book
ii., vol. i, pp. 70 and 124-5, (edit. of 1821). It may well excite
astonishment that more than three centuries should have been allowed
to elapse before the full accomplishment of this great man's
undertaking.
[2] The intelligent observer of passing events will not fail to see in
the "signs of the times" indications that the day is not far distant
when the important Empire of Japan will follow the example of China,
and throw open its harbours to European commerce--a consummation
devoutly to be wished--and which the present expedition to those
shores, under the command of Sir Edward Belcher, is likely to
accelerate.
A more immediate development of commercial enterprise cannot fail to
result from the opening of a Ship Canal through the Isthmus of Panama;
viz., _a direct trade_ between the West India Islands, English,
French, and Spanish, and the countries which have been named. From
this consideration, the West India proprietors and merchants, whose
property in those colonies has been of late years so much depreciated,
are deeply interested in the success of this undertaking.
[3] The opinions of writers who have visited the locality, will be
found in the Appendix. To those of Mr. Lloyd, who was sent by Bolivar
to survey the Isthmus in 1827, in particular, great weight is due.
[4] It was formerly called the Isthmus of Darien, but that name has
fallen into disuse among all persons who have any intercourse with
that part of the globe, though still preserved in some of the atlases.
[5] J. A. Lloyd, F. R. S., Philosophical Transactions of the Royal
Society of London, 1830, Part I. pp. 62, 63.
[6] J. A. Lloyd, F. R. S., Geographical Society's Transactions, vol.
I.
[7] J. A. Lloyd. See Appendix.
[8] The writer has conferred with several gentlemen who have visited
the Isthmus, and who agree in this opinion.
[9] It may be here stated that the Caledonian Canal, and the Canal
from Amsterdam to Niewdiep, the two most expensive Ship Canals which
have been made in Europe (and which approximate in magnitude the Canal
now projected), were formed at a much less expense per mile than has
been allowed in this estimate.
[10] See Appendix, page 26.
[11] Probably the Farfan.
[12] Malcolm MacGregor, Esq.
[13] The Canal of Languedoc is at its highest point 600 feet above the
level of the sea.--_M'Culloch's Commercial Dict., Art. Canals._
[14] It may be possible to reconcile the apparent contradiction
between the fact here stated by M. Morel, and the report of M.
Garella, by mentioning that the latter suggests the propriety of
carrying the Canal over a hill 120 yards high, and thus shortening its
length, rather than to adopt M. Morel's line of survey along the flat
and low lands, which is the longest of the two.
THE END.
W. LEWIS AND SON, PRINTERS, 21, FINCH-LANE, LONDON.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
The transcriber made these changes to the text to correct obvious
errors:
1. p. 21, propably --> probably
2. p. 29, impunged --> impugned
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